Coverage of the Hickory Crawdads baseball team

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The Greensboro Grasshoppers scored the first five runs and went on to an 8-2 win over the Hickory Crawdads Sunday afternoon at L.P. Frans Stadium.

The win for Greensboro (21-15) was an important win as the Grasshoppers are tied with Lakewood (NJ) for second place in the South Atlantic League Northern Division, with both teams a game behind Hagerstown (Md.). The Grasshoppers have won 9 of 10 – including the first two games of the current four-game series – and 12 of 15 to get into the division chase.

Meanwhile, Hickory (13-23) has dropped four of five and 8 of 11. Only Augusta (11-24) has a worst record in the Sally League.

What happened?:

Poor command and untimely defensive play was again the downfall for the Crawdads. Today, it was starter Tyler Phillips that took the brunt of things early.

Greensboro scored two in the first, which started when Eric Gutierrez was hit by a pitch – the first of five on the day. Boo Vazquez followed with a bouncer to SS Yeyson Yrizarri. His feed to start a potential double play was a slow, underhanded toss to 2B Blaine Prescott covering the bag. With the runner sliding in, Prescott’s turn and subsequent and relay to first was off the mark, which allowed Vazquez to reach. The misplay proved to be a key part of the inning as Jarett Rindfleisch doubled in Vazquez. One out later, Corey Bird singled in Rindfleisch.

Greensboro added three unearned runs in the fourth. With one out Vazquez lined a single to right and went to second when Rindfleisch was hit by a pitch. The inning began to unravel when a grounder by Luis Pintor was fielded in the hole by Yrizarri, who then attempted a force play at third. However, Ti’Quan Forbes dropped the throw, which allowed the runner to reach and loaded the bases. From there, Bird’s sacrifice fly scored Vazquez and Austin Knapp singled in two more. Phillips’s (1-2) day was done after he walked Justin Twine.

As has been the case lately, that was more than enough for starter Braxton Garrett. The Miami Marlins top prospect pitched five innings of two-hit ball to pick up his first pro win (1-0). One of the few mistakes Garrett made was a high changeup that Yanio Perez hit high off the billboards in right for his eighth homer of the season.

Matt Ball entered the game in relief of Phillips and after he got the Crawdads out of further damage in the fourth and stranded two more in the fifth, Greensboro tagged him for a run in the sixth when Colby Lusignan singled in Justin Twine.

Tyler Ferguson entered the game in the eighth on the heels of five scoreless outings (7.1 IP), but he too was not immune to the week of wildness. Bird and Knapp both singled and advanced to second and third on a fly to right. James Nelson walked and then Bird scored on a wild pitch. Lusignan was walked and Gutierrez was hit by a pitch to score Knapp and end Ferguson’s day. Kaleb Fontenot retired the final two batters of the inning pitched a perfect ninth to prevent further scoring.

Leody Taveras accounted for the final run in the ninth with a towering homer off the batter’s eye.

The beat goes on:

This afternoon’s game was the 16th time in 36 games the Crawdads have allowed seven or more runs, the tenth in the last 16 games.

In the four games during the homestand that went nine innings, Hickory has combined to throw 750 pitches with just 440 going for strikes. Today’s total: 189 pitches with 116 for strikes.

What next?: With the short outings by the starters this week – only Edgar Arredondo reached five innings – the bullpen has been taxed. Only Jake Lemoine has not seen since Thursday, and that outing was the second straight poor one for him (2.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB). I would not be surprised to see the Rangers make some roster moves to help with a stretched-out bullpen, but then perhaps a rotation spot or two come open for grabs. Argenis Rodriguez (13.80 ERA in 5 appearances, 4 starts) has already been sent to Arizona. Phillips (6.39 ERA in seven outings, four starts) and Demarcus Evans (7.88 ERA in seven outings, 3 starts) could be the next to at least come out of the rotation.

One-quarter of the season is gone and adjustments have not been made. Those adjustments may need to come in Arizona and/ or Spokane.

#1 vs. #1

The matchup I wanted to see was a pair of top-100 prospects squaring off: Garrett vs. the Rangers top prospect, Taveras.

In the first, Taveras ambushed a first-pitch fastball by Garrett that was down, but served hard into right. The southpaw then caught Taveras leaning the wrong way, but Taveras was able to beat the throw to second for the steal.

In the fourth, Garrett used a fastball and change to get ahead 0-2. Taveras ignored a curve and fastball that both went low, fouled off another pitch (Don’t remember what it was) before Garrett froze him with a curveball on the 1B corner of the plate.

Impressions of Garrett:

The No. 7 overall pick made his second pro start and from what I could pay attention to – we had computer issues in getting the game info to New York – he impressed. Fastball ran 90-94 mph with some life and he mixed in a changeup liberally that stayed armside, as well as a curveball from the first inning on.

I mentioned to the stringer working the game with me in the third that the curveball seemed very loopy. He must have heard me from the press box because right after that, Garrett tied up the right-handed hitting Franklin Rollin up with back-to-back 11-5 curves that bore in on the hands as he swung through both.

As stated above, the only real mistake was the high change that Perez punished.

Had the Crawdads lineup not put together 12 hits, Saturday night’s 14-2 loss to the Greensboro Grasshoppers might be one of the uglier losses in my own memory here.

Eleven walks, three hit batters, a wild pitch, an error on a throw to first following a strikeout, two passed balls all added up to every bit of that 14-2 defeat.

To the Grasshoppers credit, the lineup was patient and took advantage of the opportunities given them. Greensboro went 10-for-28 RISP and still stranded 14 for the game.

What happened?:

It started so innocently. Crawdads starter Demarcus Evans needed just ten pitches to get through the first. Good, lively fastball and three F-8’s later we’re thinking, here we go. Then it happened…

Hit batter, walk, walk, K, then a walk to .134 hitter Luis Pintor sent manager Spike Owen to the mound with a matter-of-fact walk to remove Evans. Reid Anderson entered and gave up a two-run single to Corey Bird (4-for-5) and a run-scoring double to Aaron Knapp (3-for-5, 5 RBI).

In the third, with one out, Colby Lusignan and Eric Gutierrez singled. Anderson K’d Boo Vazquez, but a passed ball on strike three scored Lusignan from third. Then, hit batter, Pintor’s RBI single, Bird RBI single and Knapp’s three-run homer made it 10-0 after three.

Grasshoppers starter Dylan Lee then just had to throw strikes and he did. Through seven scoreless innings, he scattered seven hits and struck out two.

Ismel Lopez was next up for Hickory and Greensboro got him for single runs in the fifth and sixth. Pintor walked and scored on a bases-loaded walk to Lusignan. In the sixth, Knapp’s sacrifice fly brought in Jarett Rindfleisch.

An unearned run made it 13-0 in the seventh. James Nelson earned the golden sombrero, but got all the way to second when catcher Alex Kowalczyk’s throw to first to complete a strikeout went into right. Vazquez eventually singled him in.

Finally in the ninth against CD Pelham, Vazquez and Rindfleisch hit back-to-back doubles.

The Crawdads got their runs in the ninth as Ti’Quan Forbes and Yeyson Yrizarri each had RBI singles.

The damage:

Our internet combined with Gameday’s brain fart late in the game skewed pitch counts from the sixth inning on. By my count, I had the Crawdads combining for 234 pitches with 125 going for strikes. Just 28 first-pitch strikes to 55 hitters.

Evans threw just 19 strikes out of 42 pitches to get five outs.

What may be:

Getting the feeling that there will be some changes made and it could be a wakeup call for some guys. Tonight was the quarter-mark of the season and we now see what the reality is. Guys are not throwing strikes or commanding pitches in the strike zone. With manager Spike Owen having to go to the pen in the first through third innings too often, guys in the bullpen are shouldering a ton of work. The rotation and pitching roster may look different when the Crawdads go to Kannapolis on Thursday.

Tough night for Kowalczyk:

Whether it was the strain of trying to will pitchers into, or catching nearly every day for a week after sitting out until last week, Kowalczyk had a tough night. Two passed balls in the third, several other pitches that were simply dropped and then the error in the seventh on a routine throw to first. He had a ground single in the fourth, but otherwise K’d twice and bounced to second.

Leody busts it:

After a tough night Friday (2 Ks and a GIDP), Taveras was his young self again Saturday. After a Willie Mays, cap-fall-of-the head running catch in the first, he lined an 0-1 pitch hard off the mound, which bounced high into centerfield. He grounded to short and third in his next two ABs, but both times he sprinted hard to first and made both routine plays close. Taveras got rewarded for that hustle in the ninth when he beat out an infield hit to third.

Yay for Yay-Yay:

Yeyson Yrizarri had the best AB I can recall seeing in the third. (This was with the team down 10-0). A 9-pitch adventure, during which he spoiled five different 1-2 pitches, turned into a hard-hit single to left on a hanging curve. An infield hit in the fifth, a double into the LF corner in the eighth and an RBI single in the ninth and he winds up with a four-hit night. Add in a leaping catch of a liner to save two runs in the fifth and that’s a pretty good night for a guy during a game when he, and others, could’ve mailed it in.

Anderson at second:

Anderson Tejeda looks pretty comfortable at second and I think I could get used to seeing him there. Made two difficult plays look easy as he charged in on both and made the quick, across the body throw to first on the run.

Yanio is Yanio:

Three hits, two of them smoked, and I think he’s getting ready to go to Columbia, S.C. with Taveras for the SAL all-star game.

Rollin is rollin’

Franklin Rollin went 1-for-5, but could’ve easily had three more hits. Lined hard to first twice and to short to end the game. Just one of those nights.

As a matter of fact:

Several hitters torched the ball but found gloves. Along with Rollin’s smashes, Ti’Quan Forbes smoked a liner to third in the seventh that nearly doubled off Perez at third. Rollin’s smash to first did double off Yrizarri in the third. Almonte had a hard hit liner to center in the fifth. Hickory had 12 hits, but could’ve had more.

The Grasshoppers opened the 2017 season with a 3-1 series win at home. Overall since 2009 – the start of the Crawdads-Rangers affiliation – Greensboro is 66-64 overall, but the Crawdads are 32-28 at L.P. Frans Stadium.

About the Crawdads:

Hickory took the final game of a three-game series against Charleston (S.C.), but were blown out by a combined 25-6 in the first two games… Pitching is a major concern for the squad. Not only is the team last in the SAL in ERA (5.64), WHIP (1.57), runs allowed and earned runs allowed, but also is on pace to set club records in all categories along with hits allowed. Hickory has given up 10+ runs eight times this season, four of those have come in the last seven games… Often the Crawdads are playing catch up as the opposition has scored first in 23 of 34 games. In games they have scored first, the Crawdads are 4-7… The offense continues to plug along, hitting .289 in May. However, Hickory scored just eight runs in the three-game series with the RiverDogs. That output has been indicative of the Crawdads play at home, where they’ve scored just over three runs per and have a .224/.291/.353 slash… As a team, they are third in the SAL with 30 HRs and tied for first with Greensboro with 11 triples.

Prospects to watch- Hickory:

CF Leody Taveras (No. 1 MLB.com and Baseball America, No. 43 Baseball America top-100 prospects, No. 51 MLB.com top-100): Signed as international free agent 2015 out of Tenares, Dominican Republic. Saw his 12-game hitting streak come to an end on Friday when he fanned twice and hit into a double play. Is one of two Crawdads (Ti’Quan Forbes) to play in all 34 games this season. Posted a .350/.357/.550 slugging pct. in May.

SS Anderson Tejeda (No. 7 MLB.com, No. 16 Baseball America). Signed as an international free agent in 2015 out of Bani, D.R. Went 1-for-7 in the series vs. Charleston with four Ks. Has 16 walks, but 40 Ks in 115 plate appearances.

LF Miguel Aparicio (No. 14 Baseball America, No. 29 MLB.com). Signed as an international free agent in 2015 out of San Carlos, Venezuela. Joined the Crawdads at the start of the homestand and went 3-for-9 with a double. Also walked and was hit by a pitch.

OF Yanio Perez (No. 15 MLB.com, 27 Baseball America): Signed as an international free agent out of Havana, Cuba. Has asserted himself as THE big bat in the lineup over the last couple of weeks. Went just 1-for-10 with a walk in the Charleston series. Is one of the few hitters to hit well at home, posting a .351/.439/.649 slash. Five of his seven homers and 14 of 23 RBIs have come at LP Frans. Has also feasted against lefties at a .406/.459/.844 clip.

RHP Jonathan Hernandez (No.17 Baseball America, No. 18 MLB.com): Signed as an international free agent in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic. Has been the lone wolf of the starting rotation this season, or at least the last three starts. In his last outing, Hernandez struck out ten over 5.2 innings and allowed just one run on six hits. Prior to that, he gave up two runs on five hits over 7 innings and got 11 groundball outs. His changeup is his make-or-break pitch.

2B Yeyson Yrizarri (No. 17 MLB.com): Signed as an international free agent in 2013 out of the D.R. After a 1-for-39 funk (.065) to start the season, Yrizarri is back over .200 (.217) with hits in six of seven games. Went 4-for-8 in the series vs. Charleston. Lefties have contained him, however, at a .152/.152/.273 clip.

RF Jose Almonte (No. 28 MLB.com): Signed as an international free agent in 2013 out of Santo Domingo, D.R. Since missing a week with a leg injury, Almonte is 6-for-33 (.182) since his return.

RHPs Demarcus Evans and Tyler Phillips: The two had worked in tandem this season, but will now be in the rotation as full-fledged, solo members. Evans has a better ERA (3.12 to 12.00) and strikeout ratio (34% to 25%) as a reliever, while Phillips has been better as a starter (5.40 ERA to 8.10).

RHP Kyle Cody: 6th-round pick in 2016 out of Kentucky. Along with Hernandez, he had been steady in the rotation, but was roughed up in his last outing (5 ER, 5 H, 2.2 IP). Has lost four straight starts, but prior to that last start, he had allowed just four earned runs (three homers) and fanned 11 over 15.2 innings in that stretch.

P Kaleb Fontenot: 21st round pick in 2016 out of McNeese St. His 14 Ks per 9 IP is the fifth best among SAL relievers. Is unscored upon in six of nine outings, but gave up three runs in 2.1 IPs vs. Charleston on Wednesday. However, he did fan five in that appearance and he has 18 Ks in his last 10 innings.

About the Grasshoppers:

Managed by Todd Pratt in his first season… The former major league catcher was the head coach at West Georgia Tech the past five seasons… Greensboro saw its seven-game win streak snapped last night at Lexington (Ky.), but has still won 10 of the last 13… Despite playing in a hitter-friendly home park, the Grasshoppers have just 20 homers this season, eight of those in 17 road games, Conversely, the pitchers have allowed 32 HRs, the second most in the Sally League. However, just eight of those are surrendered on the road… Collectively, the Grasshoppers hitters get deep into counts, as they are tied for first in walks and are second in strikeouts… Greensboro will test the arms of the Crawdads catchers as it is third in the SAL in steals and caught stealing attempts…. The Grasshoppers are 8-0 in one-run games and 10-3 when they score first… Defensively, Greensboro is third in the SAL in fielding pct.

3B James Nelson (No. 10 MLB.com, No. 18 Baseball America): 15th-round pick in 2016 out of Cisco JC (Texas). Did not start the season with the Grasshoppers until April 21. Currently has a 10-game hitting streak with multiple hits in eight of them and 2+ hits in 9 of 12 games. Went 7-for-14 at Lexington. Made 12 errors in 40 games last year, but just three so far in 2017.

RHP Jordan Holloway (No. 15 Baseball America, 16 MLB.com): 20th round pick in 2014 out of Ralston Valley High, Arvada CO. After a solid short-season year with Batavia in 2015, he took a step backwards when he struggled with control with the Grasshoppers (15 walks/ 31 innings over eight starts) then was shut down with a triceps injury after a demotion back to Batavia. The control issues remain with 17 BBs in 34.2 IPs this season. However, he showed his promise on 4/28/17 at Asheville when he threw five no-hit innings – though he walked three.

RHP Sam Perez (No. 18 MLB.com, 23 Baseball America): Fifth-round pick in 2016 out of Missouri St. Gave up 14 earned runs in 9.1 innings over his first five relief outings, but has been unscored upon in his last three appearances. SAL hitters have touched him for a .321 average.

2B Justin Twine (No. 26 MLB.com, 28 Baseball America): Second-round pick in 2014 out of Falls City (TX) High. In his third season with the Grasshoppers. Ks have held him back. He entered the season with 276 strikeouts in 970 ABs and is at 35 out of 98 in 2017. Still just 21, but the Marlins patience may be wearing thin for a third-year guy hitting .153/.222/.194.

Others to watch –Greensboro:

RHP Michael King: 12th-round pick in 2016 out of Boston College. Named the SAL pitcher of the week on April 16 after allowing two hits over seven innings at Lakewood (NJ). He equaled that in his last start on Wednesday at Lexington (KY).

RHP Kyle Keller: 18th-round pick in 2015 out of SE Louisiana. Fifth in the SAL with five saves, has 15 Ks over 11.1 innings.

Notes: Crawdads IF Blaine Prescott was activated from the disabled list (hamstring) with C Shaq Matta going to extended spring.

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